5th year, and how it changed my life, as usual
by Alara Jaems
Summary: Original Character. How Harry and the gang meets this new student, and how Harry's connected to them. Completely crap, but I needed something to do for English class. I just got to keep this up till Thursday, that's all. I don't own Harry Potter!!!!
1. Absolutely Shocking!

Once when I was around two years old, I had a very bad night. My mom only told me about this 'incident' once, but I remembered it always. She said that it was on Halloween night, and I had just fallen to sleep after putting up quite a fight, when I started screaming something horrible. She had never heard anyone scream like that. She told me that she tried everything to calm me down, but I just kept screaming for hours, till finally, around midnight I calmed down and fell asleep from exhaustion. I had woken up the next day looking as though, my mother told me, I had been tortured, and would never be the same. I remember nothing from that night except the pain I felt, as though half of me was slowly being shredded to pieces. It was only much later that I found out why that had happened.

****************Years later***********************

A girl about 16 years old was lying by the long oak tree in her backyard, eyes closed, with a large dog lying by her side. She was enjoying the summer weather like any kid would, lazing about. She looked like a normal teenage girl, wearing a normal t-shirt and jeans, but she was quite unusual. This girl was a witch, a very good one at that. Her name was Faith Connors. She had long, thick, curly black hair, which was always in a braid. She also had a mark on her left wrist which made her even more unusual, even in the magical world. The mark was of a skull with a snake coming out of the mouth like a tongue. Faith always wore a watch to cover it, because, even though she didn't like for other people to see it, she liked having it. It was a mark that she had been born with, she guessed she had gotten it from her father. Faith had never seen her father, or even really knew much about who he was. Her mother, a muggle, had raised her in America surrounded by family. Their family was pretty close, and they all knew about her being a witch. At the age of 6, Faith had started school at the Salem Institute, the best magical school in America. She graduated from there at the age of 12, but because her mother wanted her to be well informed on muggle things as well, she sent her to a muggle school when she was 13. After graduating muggle high school at the age of 15 (muggle school was much easier than the Salem Institute), she decided to work on her own doing various projects. When Faith was 14, her mom sat her down and told her all she knew about her father.

"Your father was a wizard named Tom. I didn't know his last name, and I only spent a few days with him. I don't want you to resent me for that, but I'll understand if you do."

"I don't, but I want to know everything about my father."

"All right, but I don't know much. Like I said, he was a wizard, a pretty powerful one, as I understand it. That's where you get your magic. And you're more powerful than he will ever be. He left after those few days, back to England I suppose. He was from England, but I don't know where. He went to school there. His parents were dead. When he left, he said that I would be pregnant, and to give you what he left behind."

She dragged a large trunk into the room. It had several locks on it.

"Was this his?"

"Yes it was. He left if behind for you. I have never taken it out of the closed since we moved. I thought you would be old enough to understand everything now, and appreciate whatever's in this trunk. I'll leave you alone now."

And with that she left her daughter alone with the trunk and her thoughts.

********************************

"Faith! Mail!", her mom yelled from the kitchen door.

'Man, I was having a really cool dream too,' Faith thought as she tried to remember it. It was futile; the dream was forgotten. "Come on Frostie! Let's see what Hephy brought today." The dog barked in reply, and they dashed up to the house.

"Hey mom! Where's the mail?"

"Where Hephy always puts it, in your room," she said.

There were 2 letters on the blue bed. One was _The Hermes Report_, and the other was in a yellowish sort of parchment with green ink on it. 'Nobody uses parchment here.' Faith went to the foreign letter and turned it over. It had a purple wax seal of a badger, an eagle, a snake, and a lion surrounding an H. She new at once from her studies that this was the marking Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Why she had a letter from Hogwarts was a mystery. Quickly opening the letter, she read:

Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Connors, 

I have written to you in the hopes that we might arrange to speak with each other in person. It is important that we meet, as I have some rather shocking, and quite possibly, good news to tell you. It will most likely be better to speak privately. If it would be convenient to have this meeting on July 22, at 1:00 in the afternoon, please send a reply by return owl as soon as possible. 

Yours Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore, 

Headmaster

'Professor Dumbledore! One of the greatest wizards ever! But I wonder what the news is? Let's see the 22nd is this Friday, so that means that my mom will probably be at work. That's perfect.' She quickly wrote down that that time is fine, and gently woke Hephy to send the reply with him. 

The days till Friday seemed to pass a lot slower than usual, while Faith's anticipation grew. She tried to busy herself by imagining a new spell that allows a picture in a book to become a type of hologram movie; and by playing with her dog, Frostie, a lot.

Finally, after what seemed like a month, Friday came. Her mom was at work, so she had the house to herself. The clock hit 1:00, and the doorbell rang. Faith stood frozen to the floor, nervous as can be. The doorbell rang again, and she collected herself enough to go to the door. Professor Dumbledore stood there with a bagful of lemon drops in his hand, and a warm smile on his face.

"Good afternoon Ms. Connors, or do you mind if I call you Faith?"

"Sure you can call me Faith, sir. Please, come in."

"Thank you."

They made their way into the kitchen and sat down. Professor Dumbledore offered her some lemon drops, but she politely refused, being more interested in the news he had.

"I do love a good lemon drop. You are probably very interested in the news I have. Where is your mother?"

"She's at work, but she knew you were coming and wanted me to say that she really wanted to meet you."

"Oh, well tell her I'm flattered, won't you? Well, onto the matter at hand eh? I have recently found out some rather strange news that involves you. If I may ask, what do you know about your father?"

"Uh... Well, I know only what my mom told me and that was very little. I know that he only stayed a few days with my mom, his name was Tom, that he came from England somewhere, and that he left his trunk for me." Faith really hoped Dumbledore wouldn't ask what was in the trunk. Thankfully, he didn't.

"Well, if you'd like, I could tell you a little more about Tom?"

"Yes, please!"

"All right, but not much of it is good."

He proceeded to explain all about Tom Riddle, the kid at school. He was very ambitious, too ambitious. About Tom/Voldemort and all the awful things he did during his rise to power. Finally he got to that Halloween night, 14 years ago. He told of how Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow and killed these two people named Lily & James Potter, and tried to kill their son, Harry. Faith only vaguely knew about the famous Harry Potter, and how he defeated Voldemort. History wasn't her strong point. He continued to tell her of how her father performed the killing curse on Harry, and of how it didn't work, and her dad lost everything.

Her vision of a good, kind-hearted father had been shattered. She no longer wanted to know him, and wished that he wasn't her father at all. She told Dumbledore as much.

"You shouldn't wish that. You can't change your family. Think of the good things you got from him."

'I guess he's right,' she thought. She still didn't want anything to do with him, but the trunk he left her, she still loved, because it was from her father, and _that_ meant something.

"As I said, their son Harry is doing well at Hogwarts. But now I come to the real news. Voldemort is connected to Harry Potter by the curse that failed. And, for a reason I cannot find, since Tom Riddle is your father, you are also connected to Harry, but more so. You are Harry's sister."


	2. Almost there

A.N.: Don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. Don't sue as you'll only get around $10 and some fuzzy blue slippers. 

**********************************************

Faith stared, dumbfounded, at the Professor. She didn't have brothers! Only cousins!

"How could this be?!?"

"I'm not entirely sure, yet. But it is. Harry is your brother. I know this is a lot to take in, but I do have some other matters to discuss." He waited for a nod from her to indicate she wasn't in a coma. "I am aware that you have finished school, and I also understand that you now work independently on producing potions, for the local magical population. And that you have your apparation license."

"Yes, sir." Faith had recovered enough to string small words together. At 16, you could apparate legally in America.

"Those are quite some accomplishments for any wizard or witch, much less a 16 year-old. Even though you have finished school, I was wondering if you would like to come to Hogwarts.

She didn't even need to think about it. "Of course, I would love to!"

"I would like to put you in 5th year, to be with your brother." She lit up at that. Faith was dying to meet her brother. Then, a sudden thought came to her. 

"Sir, what if Harry doesn't like me. Doesn't want to be my brother. I mean, my father did kill his parents."

"I think that you need to give Harry a chance, explain that you are different than your father. Harry is a remarkable young man; he'll surprise you. As for school, think of this as a refresher course for your studies. I would like for you to come to Hogwarts tomorrow, to see the castle and explore a little if you like. Would that be all right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good. I should be leaving now. I'll expect you at the gates to Hogwarts at 10:00 A.M. shall I? I trust you know how to get there?"

"Yes, sir! Thank you very much sir! I'll see you tomorrow."

Long after Dumbledore had left, Faith pondered what her life would be like with a brother, and if Harry would be ok with who her father is.

********************************

She had never been outside of the U.S. before. When she got to Hogsmeade, it was like a muggle had wandered into town, because she kept pointing and staring at things. It took a lot of willpower for her not to stop at every shop she saw. In America, wizards had their own sports and the occasional game of exploding snap, but for candy and things like that; they just used muggle stuff. All these things were new to her; Chocolate Frogs, Blood Pops, Cockaroach Clusters, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, etc. and she wanted to try everything! She didn't have much money, but she could afford some candy. While she was overseas, Faith wanted to go to famous Diagon Alley, because she had a vault there that she'd never known about. Her father, among other things, had left her a key to a vault at Gringotts Wizard Bank. 

Finally she reached the gates to Hogwarts. The castle was unlike anything she had ever seen, with its many different towers, and the vastness of the land it was on. Professor Dumbledore was waiting near a statue of a winged boar.

"Ah! Ms. Connors, did you have a nice stroll through Hogsmeade?"

"Uh... yes, sir. Sorry to keep you waiting," she looked embarrassed. 

"Oh, think nothing of it. It gave me time to finish some thoughts. Shall we go up to the school then?"

They said nothing during most of the walk up to the school. Faith was grateful for this. She didn't exactly know what to say, plus she was busy taking in all the details of her surroundings. A thing her mother had taught her to do; 'Always be aware of your surroundings', she would say all the time. Faith was lost in the landscape when she noticed a huge, bulking shadow coming towards them. It was a giant man whose face was hidden in a mass of tangly black hair. Looking at him coming towards them like that started to make her nervous, but when she saw his eyes, something told her not to be scared. 

"Good morning, Hagrid," Professor Dumbledore said as the giant man, apparently called Hagrid, reached them.

"Hullo there, Professor Dumbledore, sir! I was jus' on my way up ter your office. You said you wanted to speak to me, sir?"

"So I did. Hagrid, may I introduce you to Ms. Faith Connors. Ms. Connors, this is Rubeus Hagrid; he'll be your Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Oh! Very pleased to meet you Professor Hagrid!"

Hagrid swelled with pride at being called a professor. "Very nice to meet you to, but you can jus' call me Hagrid, Ms. Connors. Everybody does."

"And you can call me Faith, Hagrid. Everybody does," she smiled goofily as Hagrid chuckled lightly.

"Hagrid, I must talk with Ms. Connors at the moment. Could I possibly speak with you later?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"O' course, sir. It was nice to meet you Faith. Good bye, Professor Dumbledore, sir!" he said as he started back toward a hut near a forest. 

At last they made it to a stone gargoyle inside Hogwarts. The castle seemed so huge and confusing, but Faith, always aware of her surroundings, could remember exactly how they got there. They walked for a while turning down new hallways till finally they stopped in front of a statue. Professor Dumbledore said something to the statue and it opened to reveal a spiral staircase. It reminded Faith of a muggle escalator. At the top was a door with a gryffin for a knocker, which opened immediately as they got off the stairs. Dumbledore's office was large and full of interesting things. She didn't know where to look first, but keeping in mind her manners she didn't go and examine everything she could. Instead she sat down in front of the headmaster's desk and waited for him to begin. 

Dumbledore sat down, cleared his throat and started speaking. "Now, as I said before, you will be in the same year as Harry, 5th year. You will take the same classes as him too, since you already know what will be taught, it should be easy for you. As you may know, we have 4 houses here at Hogwarts that we put our students in. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house is special in it's own right. I would like to have you be sorted at the start of term feast right after the new first years. No one knows really which house they'll be chosen for."

"Which one is Harry in, sir? What about my dad?"

"Harry is in Gryffindor. Your father was in Slytherin."

"But what if I don't get the same house as Harry"

"Well, we shall deal with that should the need arise. Regardless of which house you get sorted into, you will have your own room in the girl's dormitory. You are allowed to bring an owl, cat, or a toad with you if you wish. I've no doubt your classes will be informative, but since you have already graduated, you will be given special access to our restricted section in the library to further your studies. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, sir. When is my brother's birthday? I know it's a little weird but I'd like to know."

"Of course. I believe his birthday is on July 31," he smiled gently at her.

"Thank you. Um, when will I meet him?"

"Oh, I suppose that would most likely be on the train to Hogwarts on September 1st. All you need to know is in this letter;" he handed Faith another yellowish parchment letter. "That's your letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. It has your school supply list, ticket to the Hogwarts Express, and instructions on where to go."

She took the letter, "Thank you Professor Dumbledore." She sensed that now would be a good time to leave, so she stood and crossed to the door. 

"Would you be so kind as to stop by Hagrid's on you way? Tell him to come up in an hour please?"

"Certainly sir," she left.

The walk back through the castle was interesting; all those doors and passageways. Faith couldn't wait to explore everything, but reminded herself that she had a message to deliver, and rushed off towards the hut she had seen earlier. When she got there she noticed it looked kind of small for such a big person. As she knocked, Faith heard very loud barks coming from inside.

"Back, Fang! Who's there?"

"Uh... Its Faith Connors, sir? From before?"

The door opened, "Oh o'course, come in, come in." She walked in slowly. The hut had only one room, and it indeed looked small for Hagrid. A large black boarhound was sitting on the floor. He looked a little scary. "Would yeh like some tea?"

"Oh, no thank you sir," Faith didn't like tea. She suddenly realized that she would have to get used to English food if she was going to go to school here. "I just came to tell you that Professor Dumbledore would like you to come up to his office in about..." she checked her watch, "about 45 minutes now."

"Well, I'll make sure I do that," he said as he moved about his kitchen making tea for himself. "Professor Dumbledore probably has something important to tell me. See, Dumbledore trusts me with important stuff. Knows he can always count on me." Hagrid sat down at a small table, "sit down, sit down. So you're a new student are yeh? Don't think I've ever heard of a student starting Hogwarts after 1st year."

"Well, I'm not really _'starting' _school right now. I've already graduated from the Salem Institute over in America."

"Oh, have ya? So you're from America eh?"

"Yes sir, Colorado."

"Well, don't know where that is, but the name sounds kinda nice. Mind telling' me why it is you're coming to Hogwarts after you've graduated an' all?"

"Professor Dumbledore kinda invited me to come study here. He's real cool isn't he?"

"Cool?" he laughed; "Professor Dumbledore is a great man."

"Yeah, he seems it." Faith sat there for a little bit looking around his hut.

"You stayin' in Hogsmeade today?"

"Oh, no sir. I'm just gonna stay for a little bit, explore the village a little. Check out the candy store."

"Well, make sure you get some butterbeer while your here. I don't think they have tha' in America, do they?"

"No, I don't believe so sir."

"Well, then you make sure you have some while yer here, all righ? I best be gettin' up to see Professor Dumbledore. I guess I'll see you when term starts eh?"  
  
"Yes sir, I look forward to taking your class. I just love magical creatures! It was one of my favorite classes at my old school."

"Oh," Hagrid smiled, very pleased to have such an enthusiastic student. "Well then, it'll be good to have a student who knows their creatures."

"Yes sir."

"An' enough with that 'sir' stuff. I told yeh, it's just Hagrid."

"Yes sir, um, I mean Hagrid. Bye then," she waved and turned to go back down to the entrance gates, while Hagrid went up to speak to Dumbledore.


End file.
